ROMNEY WOULD RETAIN SOME PARTS OF HEALTH-CARE LAW

GOP candidate promises to keep popular provisions

BOSTON  Mitt Romney said he would retain some popular parts of the new health care law he has pledged to repeal, while President Barack Obama focused attention in all-important Florida on the Republican ticket’s stand on Medicare.

Romney also said it was a “mistake” for congressional Republicans to go along with the White House on a budget deal that has set up big automatic spending cuts in defense and elsewhere in the new year. His running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, helped steer that agreement through Congress.

Health care grabbed the spotlight Sunday, less than two months from Election Day in a tight race.

Romney, appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” for the first time in the campaign and the first time since June 28, 2009, said he would replace Obama’s health care overhaul with a plan entirely his own, yet would keep some popular provisions.

“I’m not getting rid of all of health care reform. Of course, there are a number of things that I like in health care reform that I’m going to put in place,” Romney said. He cited coverage for people with medical conditions and new insurance marketplaces.

Romney’s aides said that was consistent with his previous position that those who haven’t had a gap in coverage shouldn’t be denied coverage.

But the comments brought renewed attention to the similarities between Obama’s plan and the one Romney championed when he was Massachusetts governor, which included both protections for health conditions and an individual mandate that the Republican has since railed against.

The GOP nominee didn’t offer specifics for how he’d deal with the affordability of insurance, but suggested competition would help bring down costs. For seniors, Romney has called for restructuring Medicare by giving retirees a government payment that they would use to choose between traditional Medicare and private insurance.

Obama, campaigning for a second day in Florida, promoted a study showing that future retirees under Romney’s plan would pay tens of thousands more for health care over their retirement period. The report was rejected quickly by Romney’s campaign.